Man charged in cat shooting

Wednesday

Feb 12, 2014 at 2:00 PM

By Daily Telegram staff

A Woodstock Township man was charged with felony animal cruelty in the shooting of a neighbor’s cat on Oct. 18. Jonathan Thomas Wright, 24, was arraigned Monday in Lenawee County District Court on a charge carrying a maximum four-year prison term.

A cat owned by a neighbor of Wright’s father on Silver Lake Highway was badly injured by a gunshot, said Lt. Tony Cuevas, commander of the Michigan State Police post in Monroe. The cat was taken to a veterinarian who amputated a rear leg, he said.

The cat owner called police after hearing a gunshot and seeing Jonathan Wright with a rifle. Jeffrey Alan Wright Sr. refused to allow the neighbors to search for their missing cat on his property, Cuevas said. He also reportedly told police his son had shot at an opossum, not a cat.

The neighbors reported the cat showed up at their home the next morning with a wounded leg.

Jeffrey Wright, 52, was also arraigned Monday on a charge of lying to police during an investigation of a felony. The charge carries a maximum two-year prison term.

The father and son were scheduled for preliminary hearings on Feb. 24 and remain free on bond.